Both projects will serve to support Chicago youth and organize resources to secure year-round jobs for young people ages 16 to 24, and is one of the first collaborative efforts of its kind in Chicago.

“I am very proud to be where we are,” Common said during the press conference at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art. “I know what a job can do for a human being. It takes up your time for something productive. If we get these kids jobs, I guarantee: we’ll see less crime in the streets. But we have to be the change.”

According to a University of Chicago study, over half of the victims of gunfire in Chicago are between the ages of 10 and 25. The report also states that young minority males are vastly over-represented as both victims and offenders of gun violence, and that just some of the contributing factors include poverty and mental health problems.